Rob Smyth's Blog, page 4

Football transfer rumours: Gianluigi Donnarumma to Manchester City?

Today’s rumours are celebrating a new Sorry album

If you had suggested, as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s Brobdingnagian hands were extinguishing Arsenal’s Champions League hopes in May, that Paris Saint-Germain would bundle him out the door marked Do One a few months later, you’d have been laughed out of the football WhatsApp group faster than you could say “Toxic Hipsters”.

Who’s laughing now? You are! Or at least you would be had the above scenario been a representation of reality rather than the Rumour Mill’s exhausted imagination. Luis Enrique wants a different profile of goalkeeper – imagine if someone had used that phrase within earshot of Brian Clough or Bill Shankly – and Donnarumma may well be using his giant frame and even bigger aura in the Premier League this season.

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Champions League qualifying and Carabao Cup first round: football – as it happened

Jose Mourinho’s Fenerbahce roared back to set up a playoff with Benfica, while Bromley stunned Ipswich in the Carabao Cup

15 min: Fenerbahce 0-0 Feyenoord (agg: 1-2) Jhon Duran – the very same – has just hit the side netting with Fener’s first half-chance. Feyenoord have probably played the more intricate football but Fenerbahce look a threat on the break.

Champions League qualifying latest (6pm KOs unless stated)

Qarabag 4-1 Shkendija (5pm, agg: 5-1)

FC Copenhagen 0-0 Malmo FF (agg: 0-0)

Fenerbahce 0-0 Feyenoord (agg: 1-2)

Pafos 1-0 Dynamo Kyiv (agg: 2-0)

Plzen 0-0 Rangers (agg: 0-3)

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Crystal Palace beat Liverpool on penalties to win Community Shield – as it happened

Palace tasted victory at Wembley again, equalising twice in normal time before winning 3-2 on penalties

There will be a minute’s silence in memory of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died tragically last month. Liverpool legend Ian Rush and Palace chairman have also laid wreaths on the Wembley pitch.

A reminder of the teams

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England v India: fifth men’s cricket Test, day three – as it happened

India are favourites to square the series after Mohammed Siraj bowled Zak Crawley in the final over of the day

20th over: India 82-2 (Jaiswal 52, Deep 10) Josh Tongue at the other end, who bowled much better and with more venom yesterday evening than he had in the first innings. Starts with one that swings down the legside, but then on the money. India are watchful.

19th over: India 81-2 (Jaiswal 51, Deep 10) Jacob Bethell with the ball, which wasn’t what I was expecting. He seems to have modelled his hair on Robin Smith. Deep swipes him for four third ball. And again, on one knee – but just for two this time.

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England v India: fifth men’s cricket Test, day two – as it happened

India finished on 75 for 2, a lead of 52 runs, after a dramatic, topsy-turvy and ill-tempered second day at The Oval

Morning: 11am – 1pm

Afternoon: 1.40pm – 3.55pm

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England v India: fourth men’s cricket Test, day four – as it happened

Live updates from the fourth day at Old Trafford

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136th over: England 545-7 (Stokes 78, Dawson 21) A run-out referral in the first over of the day. Stokes, who struggled with cramp last night, tested his body by taking a quick single to mid-on off Bumrah. A smart underarm throw from Kamboj hit the stumps and the umpires sent it upstairs. Umpire Siraj raised his finger to give Stokes out, but the replays showed he was home, just about, before the bails were broken.

“We’re very fortunate,” says Gary Naylor, “to be watching England’s greatest captain and England’s greatest senior pro in the same team.”

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England v India: Root becomes second-highest run scorer ever, fourth Test, day three – as it happened

Only Sachin Tendulkar has scored more runs than Joe Root, whose marvellous 150 drove England to 544 for seven at Old Trafford

49th over: England 231-2 (Pope 20, Root 17) Bumrah it is after one over of Thakur. Root picks a full ball off his toes for four, he looks in decent nick does Joe. A majestic drive is unfurled later in the over but pings straight to the fielder. Be still my…

48th over: England 227-2 (Pope 20, Root 13) Mohammed Siraj opens up from t’other end and he bustles in to Pope, honing in on pads and stumps. Five dots are stitched together before the last ball of the over scuds through at no more than shin height and nearly scuttles Pope! That did not bounce at all, if that was straight then Pope was a goner and there’s nowt he could do have done about it. Pope wanders down and gets his Monty Don on, trust me, this pitch is going to go more up and down than a hormonal teenager on a paternoster.

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England v India: fourth men’s cricket Test, day one – as it happened

Rishabh Pant retired hurt with a nasty foot injury as India reached 264 for 4 on a hard-fought opening day

Is this the best series in England since 2005? To borrow Shenseea’s line, “that’s a no for me” – I’m going for South Africa 2012, as that was two great teams playing for the mace, not to fine teams playing for the trophy – but it was only three matches, and we’ve got two more for this to usurp it.

On Kuldeep, Athers notes that England were always going to bowl – and when did describing it that way replace calling it fielding in the cricketing lexicon –if they won the toss, so Gill could’ve guaranteed having him wheeling away in the fourth innings. I bet England are pleased he’s not there.

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India beat England by 13 runs in third women’s cricket ODI to win series – as it happened

Kranti Gaud’s memorable six-for gave India a deserved series victory despite a marvellous 98 from Nat Sciver-Brunt

England 1 Tammy Beaumont, 2 Amy Jones (wk), 3 Emma Lamb, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Alice Davidson-Rich, 7 Charlie Dean, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Linsey Smith, 10 Lauren Filer, 11 Lauren Bell.

India 1 Pratika Rawal, 2 Smriti Mandhana, 3 Harleen Deol, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Jemimah Rodrigues, 6 Richa Ghosh (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Radha Yadav, 9 Sneh Rana, 10 N Sree Charani, 11 Kranti Goud.

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England v India: second women’s cricket one-day international – as it happened

Three wickets for a back-to-her-best Sophie Ecclestone helps England beat India – and the rain – at Lord’s to level the ODI series

On this day in 2017… nothing happened, not in the world of women’s cricket. But on this day tomorrow, Harmanpreet Kaur played an innings of unfathomable brilliance.

The reserve umpire Sue Redfern is trudging round the outfield, umbrella in hand, which is another way of saying that there’s no immediate prospect of play. But I do think we’ll get a game of some description this afternoon.

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